ViSalus Holdings LLC Announces Union With Blyth, Inc (NYSE: BTH)
05 August 2008 - 10:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Weight Management and
Nutritional supplement maker ViSalus Holdings has announced an
agreement to become a member of Blyth's family of companies and
successful brands. Blyth is a leader in the direct selling industry
and ViSalus provides innovative health solutions through high
quality wellness products such as the Vi-PAK Advanced Anti-Aging
and Energy System, ViSalus NEURO Smart Energy Drink, and the Trim
Slim Shape Program for healthy weight loss and weight management.
As part of the comprehensive agreement, Blyth's Chairman of the
Board and CEO, Robert B. Goergen, will be joining the ViSalus Board
of Managers. The Founders of ViSalus, Ryan Blair, Nick Sarnicola,
and Blake Mallen, as well as the ViSalus Management Team will
remain in their roles and have renewed their commitment toward
building ViSalus into an international powerhouse in the Health and
Wellness Industry. ViSalus, seed funded by Goergen Family's The
Ropart Asset Management Funds (http://www.ropart.com/) in December
of 2005, provides Blyth entry into the lucrative and fast-growing
health and wellness industry. Blyth provides ViSalus capital,
leverageable assets and domain expertise to facilitate ViSalus'
aggressive expansion plans over the next several years. "During the
past three years, ViSalus has made significant investments in its
technology, infrastructure and product pipeline to create what we
believe is a business model with a distinct competitive advantage.
In partnership with Blyth, we will leverage those investments to
accelerate our expansion while minimizing risk," said ViSalus CEO
Ryan Blair. Commenting on the alliance, Robert B. Goergen, Blyth's
Chairman of the Board and CEO, said, "Today's commitment builds
further on Blyth's long-term focus on direct-to-consumer sales
opportunities. Importantly, we are able to diversify within the
direct selling channel with products that appeal to different
consumer segments." Mr. Goergen continued, "Our partnership with
the founders of ViSalus is mutually beneficial in that Blyth is
entering a third direct selling product category marketing
consumable wellness goods and ViSalus can leverage expertise from
Blyth's direct selling core competency, as well as various
corporate functions required by a growing enterprise. Moreover,
longer term, our experience entering international markets should
be beneficial to ViSalus' expansion." ViSalus Co-Founder and CMO
Blake Mallen commented, "It feels great to know that a cause we
have put our lives into is now being recognized at this level. The
combination of Blyth's experience and global infrastructure will
give us a competitive edge in our channel." "It is a proud day for
ViSalus and our community of customers and distributors that Blyth
would consider our company a valuable addition to its strategy,"
said ViSalus Co-Founder and CSO Nick Sarnicola. ViSalus Vice
President of Marketing and Branding, Audrey Sommerfeld, commented,
"We now stand alongside the elite brands of Blyth, Inc., and the
alliance of ViSalus and Blyth gives our customers and distributors
an unparalleled opportunity." About ViSalus ViSalus, with
headquarters in Troy, Michigan and Los Angeles, CA, is a leading
Weight Management and Nutritional Supplement maker utilizing the
direct selling channel to distribute its products. ViSalus may be
found on the Internet at http://www.visalus.com/ About The Ropart
Asset Management Funds The Ropart Asset Management Funds is a
private equity firm that invests directly in small to midsize
companies. The firm pursues a flexible strategy, investing
throughout the capital structure and in multiple industries,
including Business Services, Healthcare Services, Consumer
Products, Financial Services, and Technology.
http://www.ropart.com/ DATASOURCE: ViSalus Holdings LLC CONTACT:
Alfred Hopton of B|W|R Public Relations, +1-310-550-7776, , for
ViSalus Holdings LLC Web site: http://www.visalus.com/
http://www.ropart.com/
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